Pharrell Williams

By Priya Elan, Apr. 22, 2014, Theguardian.com

As if to confirm that he has reached an otherworldly level of fame, Pharrell Williams has aligned himself with an entirely new race of human being. The ubiquitous star spoke to Oprah last week, blubbed while watching fan videos of Happy but, most curiously, defined himself as The New Black. "The New Black doesn't blame other races for our issues," said Pharrell, one of the world's most successful musicians, to Oprah, billionaire queen of the world. "The New Black dreams and realises that it's not pigmentation: it's a mentality and it's either going to work for you or it's going to work against you. And you've got to pick the side you're going to be on." It's a comment that not only suggests he has a library full of Deepak Chopra books under that hat, but that also highlights how daft it is when a millionaire attempts to speak for an entire race.

In response, writer and blogger Feminista Jones created the Twitter hashtag #whatkindofblackareyou?. Via email, Jones says that while it's admirable to believe that black people can now transcend race, Pharrell's comments are ultimately a "slap in the face" to people who do not fit in with his narrow ideas.